editorNPR Digital Services RSS Generator 0.94Carrie Johnson is a Justice Correspondent for the Washington Desk. She covers a wide variety of stories about justice issues, law enforcement and legal affairs for NPR's flagship programs Morning Edition and All Things Considered , as well as the Newscasts and NPR.org. While in this role, Johnson has chronicled major challenges to the landmark voting rights law, a botched law enforcement operation targeting gun traffickers along the Southwest border, and the Obama administration's deadly drone program for suspected terrorists overseas. Prior to coming to NPR in 2010, Johnson worked at the Washington Post for 10 years, where she closely observed the FBI, the Justice Department and criminal trials of the former leaders of Enron, HealthSouth and Tyco. Earlier in her career, she wrote about courts for the weekly publication Legal Times . Outside of her role at NPR, Johnson regularly moderates or appears on legal panels for the American Bar Association, the American Constitution Society,NPR Digital Services RSS Generator 0.94Carrie JohnsonMon, 19 Mar 2018 12:45:25 +0000Carrie Johnsonhttp://kwit.org
Carrie JohnsonCopyright 2018 NPR. To see more, visit SCOTT SIMON, HOST: Attorney General Sessions just fired a top FBI official last night just hours before he planned to retire with full benefits. Andrew McCabe is the former deputy director of the FBI. He's been a frequent target of President Trump. We're now joined by NPR justice correspondent Carrie Johnson. Carrie, thanks so much for being with us. CARRIE JOHNSON, BYLINE: Good morning, Scott. SIMON: Andrew McCabe put in more than 20 years of service at the FBI. What went off the rails here? JOHNSON: Well, McCabe came under scrutiny for a lack of candor to Justice Department investigators last year. He got asked questions about his role in a Wall Street Journal story about the Clinton Foundation in 2016 during the presidential campaign. The issue is whether he was forthcoming with investigators. The Justice Department says McCabe lied under oath multiple times. But McCabe and his allies say he didn't mean to mislead anyone. He corrected theSessions Fires FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe http://kwit.org/post/sessions-fires-fbi-deputy-director-andrew-mccabe
125771 as http://kwit.orgSat, 17 Mar 2018 12:13:00 +0000Sessions Fires FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe Carrie JohnsonUpdated at 3:45 p.m. ET A conservative group funded by billionaire brothers Charles and David Koch is turning its attention to a new front: promoting federal judges at the grass-roots level. Americans for Prosperity is willing to spend nearly $1 million to confirm judges this year. Those lifetime appointments could reshape the courts for a generation. "The fact of the matter is that so much of what affects us in our daily lives plays out in the courtroom," said Sarah Field, the group's new vice president for judicial strategy. But even more important than the money could be the firepower AFP wants to engage. The idea is to mobilize conservative activists across 36 states for key confirmation fights this year. That includes people who call their home-state senators, write letters and knock on doors. For now, ground zero is in Wisconsin, where AFP state director Eric Bott said it's a little too cold to knock on doors just yet. Bott said his network of 130,000 volunteers has rallied forConservatives Mobilize Grass-Roots Activists To Promote Trump Judgeshttp://kwit.org/post/conservatives-mobilize-grass-roots-activists-promote-trump-judges
125689 as http://kwit.orgFri, 16 Mar 2018 09:34:00 +0000Conservatives Mobilize Grass-Roots Activists To Promote Trump JudgesCarrie JohnsonCopyright 2018 NPR. To see more, visit RACHEL MARTIN, HOST: A conservative group funded by the Koch brothers is turning its attention to a new front - the judiciary. Americans for Prosperity says it's willing to spend nearly a million dollars to confirm judges this year. Those lifetime appointments could reshape the courts for a generation. NPR justice correspondent Carrie Johnson reports. CARRIE JOHNSON, BYLINE: Sarah Field says there's a simple reason why Americans for Prosperity decided to pay attention to the federal bench. SARAH FIELD: The fact of the matter is that so much of what affects us in our daily lives plays out in the courtroom. JOHNSON: Field says her hiring as the group's new vice president for judicial strategy is the first step in a yearslong effort. FIELD: We're prepared to spend a high six figures on this investment this year. JOHNSON: Even more important than the money could be the firepower AFP wants to engage. The idea is to mobilize conservative activistsKoch-Funded Group Focuses On Lifetime Appointments Of Judgeshttp://kwit.org/post/koch-funded-group-focuses-lifetime-appointments-judges
125541 as http://kwit.orgWed, 14 Mar 2018 11:21:00 +0000Koch-Funded Group Focuses On Lifetime Appointments Of JudgesCarrie JohnsonForty years of institutional memory walked out of the Justice Department last month. Lawyer Douglas Letter joined the DOJ in 1978. For decades, he defended controversial policies advanced by Democrats and Republicans in the executive branch. Now, he may be suing over them. Letter, 64, reflected on his long government service on a sunny morning last week at the Georgetown Law Center, where he will be working and teaching national security law. "My father and several other people in my family were also career public servants," he said, "so I grew up feeling like public service was a calling." Letter fought for the government — no matter which political party controlled it — through the Reagan and Clinton and George W. Bush presidencies. After the terrorist attacks in September 2001, his docket included cases about treatment of detainees, lethal drone strikes and more. Asked for his proudest moments, he mentions this one, from the Obama years: "The Obergefell case," he said. "That's the40 Years Of Experience Walks Out The Door Of The Justice Departmenthttp://kwit.org/post/40-years-experience-walks-out-door-justice-department
125430 as http://kwit.orgMon, 12 Mar 2018 20:43:00 +000040 Years Of Experience Walks Out The Door Of The Justice DepartmentCarrie JohnsonCopyright 2018 NPR. To see more, visit DON GONYEA, HOST: It's been another wild week in the Russia investigation. Donald Trump's former campaign chairman Paul Manafort has pleaded not guilty again. More of the president's advisers when he was candidate Trump testified before the grand jury in Washington. And the special counsel appeared to focus on a meeting on the Seychelles during the presidential transition. With us to sort all of these developments through is NPR justice correspondent Carrie Johnson. Hi, Carrie. CARRIE JOHNSON, BYLINE: Hi Don. GONYEA: So, Carrie, let's start with this mysterious meeting in January of 2017. Why is it important to the Russia investigation? JOHNSON: Well, we know special counsel Robert Mueller is looking at Russian interference in the presidential election and whether any Americans took part in that. This meeting during the transition period in the Seychelles could be important because Erik Prince, the founder of the security company Blackwater, was aRussia Investigation Updatehttp://kwit.org/post/russia-investigation-update-0
125325 as http://kwit.orgSat, 10 Mar 2018 13:21:00 +0000Russia Investigation UpdateCarrie JohnsonFormer Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort pleaded not guilty to conspiracy, tax and bank fraud charges in an Alexandria, Va., federal courtroom Thursday afternoon. Judge T.S. Ellis set a trial date for July 10. Manafort faces a separate federal trial on Sept. 17 on other charges also brought by special counsel Robert Mueller's office in a Washington, D.C., case. For the Virginia case, Manafort will be fitted with a second electronic monitoring bracelet (he is already wearing one related to the D.C. case) and will be allowed to meet with lawyers, attend church services and make emergency medical trips as needed. Ellis, who has been on the bench for 31 years, alternately cracked jokes and pressed lawyers for Manafort's and Mueller's office on their legal positions. The judge urged prosecutors to add a lawyer to their team experienced in practicing in the Eastern District of Virginia federal court where the Alexandria, Va., courthouse is located. "Only a fool would try a case in aPaul Manafort Pleads Not Guilty To Conspiracy, Tax And Bank Fraud Chargeshttp://kwit.org/post/paul-manafort-pleads-not-guilty-conspiracy-tax-and-bank-fraud-charges
125202 as http://kwit.orgThu, 08 Mar 2018 21:01:00 +0000Paul Manafort Pleads Not Guilty To Conspiracy, Tax And Bank Fraud ChargesCarrie JohnsonCopyright 2018 NPR. To see more, visit RACHEL MARTIN, HOST: The U.S. Justice Department is suing California and two top officials in the state. The federal government says California is interfering with federal immigration enforcement and violating the U.S. Constitution. We're going to get more details now with NPR justice correspondent Carrie Johnson. Hey, Carrie. CARRIE JOHNSON, BYLINE: Hi there. MARTIN: What is the Justice Department's argument here? JOHNSON: Well, the Justice Department's focused on three laws that California passed last year which it calls a brazen interference with the federal government's power over immigration. One of these state laws bars employers from voluntarily cooperating with federal immigration agents and forces them to notify workers in advance about any federal immigration raids that are coming. Another law covers state and local law enforcement. It says they're not able to volunteer information to Homeland Security agents about release dates forDOJ: Sues California Over Impeding Immigration Enforcementhttp://kwit.org/post/doj-sues-california-over-impeding-immigration-enforcement
125082 as http://kwit.orgWed, 07 Mar 2018 10:00:00 +0000DOJ: Sues California Over Impeding Immigration EnforcementCarrie JohnsonUpdated at 9:20 p.m. ET The Justice Department is suing California and two top state officials, accusing them of interfering with federal immigration efforts by passing and enforcing state laws that hinder U.S. operations against undocumented people. The lawsuit filed late Tuesday in federal court in Sacramento, Calif., points out that the Constitution gives the U.S. government sweeping authority over immigration. Justice Department lawyers argue that California is blocking enforcement efforts by the Department of Homeland Security and imposing other, impermissible obligations on the federal government. Federal authorities said that evades common sense and has the potential to endanger communities in California and beyond. The new federal case represents an escalation of the long-running battle between the Trump administration and California, whose Democratic governor, Jerry Brown, and attorney general, Xavier Becerra, have positioned themselves as ideological opponents to the WhiteJustice Department Sues California Over Impeding Immigration Enforcementhttp://kwit.org/post/justice-department-sues-california-over-impeding-immigration-enforcement
125073 as http://kwit.orgWed, 07 Mar 2018 02:23:00 +0000Justice Department Sues California Over Impeding Immigration EnforcementCarrie JohnsonThe man leading the Justice Department's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election has been keeping busy. Special counsel Robert Mueller has been on the job for about nine months. But he has already charged 19 people with wrongdoing — and won guilty pleas from the president's former campaign vice chairman and his former national security adviser. Scholars who focus on politically charged investigations that may lead into the White House have been taking note. "Robert Mueller's pace in this investigation really is very similar to some of the best special prosecutors in modern history," said Ken Gormley , the president of Duquesne University and the author of two books on special prosecutors. These investigations carry special burdens: to move forward quietly, with no leaks, and quickly, to prove guilt or innocence. "The whole point of appointing an independent counsel in these kind of instances is to deal with the fact that there's a cloud over the highest levels ofRobert Mueller's Pace Measures Up With Best Prosecutors 'In Modern History'http://kwit.org/post/robert-muellers-pace-measures-best-prosecutors-modern-history
124944 as http://kwit.orgMon, 05 Mar 2018 10:00:00 +0000Robert Mueller's Pace Measures Up With Best Prosecutors 'In Modern History'Carrie JohnsonOne of President Trump's picks for a seat on the body that sets policy used to punish 70,000 federal criminals every year has publicly called to abolish that agency, the U.S. Sentencing Commission, and has a history of making racially charged remarks about crime. William G. Otis is a former federal prosecutor in Virginia, special counsel to former President George H.W. Bush and an adviser at the Drug Enforcement Administration. He currently serves as an adjunct professor at Georgetown University Law Center. But it's his years-long record of public comments and Internet posts on crime and drugs that have drawn fire from civil rights groups and prisoner advocates this week. In 2013, for instance, Otis commented on a popular legal blog that "it is precisely because race and criminality have no causative relationship that our side cannot be cowed when the other side starts bellowing about racial disparities in imprisonment, and then claiming they are caused by racism. They are not causedTrump Pick For Sentencing Commission Has History Of Racially Charged Remarkshttp://kwit.org/post/trump-pick-sentencing-commission-has-history-racially-charged-remarks
124827 as http://kwit.orgFri, 02 Mar 2018 17:44:00 +0000Trump Pick For Sentencing Commission Has History Of Racially Charged RemarksCarrie JohnsonCopyright 2018 NPR. To see more, visit AILSA CHANG, HOST: Special counsel Robert Mueller has led the legal investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election for nine months now. In that time, he's charged 19 people with wrongdoing and one guilty pleas from the president's former deputy campaign manager and his national security adviser. NPR's Carrie Johnson has been comparing the Mueller investigation to similar ones in the past. Here's what she found. CARRIE JOHNSON, BYLINE: There's a small group of scholars who focus on politically charged investigations that may lead into the White House. Ken Gormley, the president of Duquesne University, is one of them. KEN GORMLEY: The whole point of appointing an independent counsel is to deal with the fact that there is a cloud over the highest levels of the executive branch and to restore public confidence one way or the other. JOHNSON: That means moving forward quietly with no leaks and quickly to prove guilt or innocence and liftIn His 9 Months On The Job, Special Counsel Robert Mueller Has Charged 19 Peoplehttp://kwit.org/post/his-9-months-job-special-counsel-robert-mueller-has-charged-19-people
124778 as http://kwit.orgThu, 01 Mar 2018 21:35:00 +0000In His 9 Months On The Job, Special Counsel Robert Mueller Has Charged 19 PeopleCarrie JohnsonCopyright 2018 NPR. To see more, visit ARI SHAPIRO, HOST: There is another guilty plea in special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. This time it's a lawyer who worked with former Trump campaign chair Paul Manafort and his business partner Rick Gates. That lawyer, Alex van der Zwaan, has acknowledged that he lied to the FBI last year. He's the 19th person charged by the special counsel and the fourth to plead guilty. Joining us to talk more about the case is NPR justice correspondent Carrie Johnson. Hi, Carrie. CARRIE JOHNSON, BYLINE: Hi, Ari. SHAPIRO: This lawyer is not exactly a household name. Tell us who he is and what he's accused of doing. JOHNSON: Sure. He's based in London. His name is Alex van der Zwaan. He's a Russian speaker, a Dutch citizen, only 33 years old. And he worked on a report in 2012 for the pro-Russian government in Ukraine. Paul Manafort and Rick Gates lobbied for that pro-Russian government, and prosecutorsSpecial Counsel Robert Mueller Secures Another Guilty Pleahttp://kwit.org/post/special-counsel-robert-mueller-secures-another-guilty-plea
124167 as http://kwit.orgTue, 20 Feb 2018 21:38:00 +0000Special Counsel Robert Mueller Secures Another Guilty PleaCarrie JohnsonCopyright 2018 NPR. To see more, visit STEVE INSKEEP, HOST: This next story turns on an essential fact. It is a crime to lie to the FBI. That's the charge to which a lawyer is expected to plead guilty today. Special Counsel Robert Mueller secured that guilty plea as he investigates Russian interference in the 2016 election. NPR justice correspondent Carrie Johnson has been covering this story. She's in our studios. Hi there, Carrie. CARRIE JOHNSON, BYLINE: Hi, Steve. INSKEEP: Who's this lawyer? JOHNSON: Not a household name - he's a lawyer based in London named Alex Van der Zwaan. And court documents say he lied to the FBI in November 2017. He failed to produce some emails to the special counsel team. And he lied about some communications he had with a lobbyist, Rick Gates, who himself is charged with money laundering and conspiracy. INSKEEP: I think we're beginning to get a sense of where this would fit into the broader investigation. You're suggesting that FBI agents were talkingMueller Investigation Secures Another Guilty Pleahttp://kwit.org/post/mueller-investigation-secures-another-guilty-plea
124145 as http://kwit.orgTue, 20 Feb 2018 17:09:00 +0000Mueller Investigation Secures Another Guilty PleaCarrie JohnsonThe Senate Judiciary Committee has voted 16-5 to advance a bill that would ease mandatory minimum sentences for some drug criminals, but its prospects on the Senate floor are uncertain after opposition from Attorney General Jeff Sessions and at least one big law enforcement group. The Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act would put more power in the hands of individual federal judges and pave the way for about 3,000 federal inmates punished under old crack cocaine drug laws to ask courts for leniency. It also creates incentives for low-risk prisoners to participate in programming and ease their return to society. The bill has attracted broad bipartisan support in the divided Senate, with nearly two dozen sponsors from both political parties. That's a source of pride for Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa. But this week, on the eve of the committee vote, Sessions went out of his way to send a letter to Grassley calling the legislation a "grave error" because he said itBill To Overhaul Drug Sentences Faces Uncertain Fate; Senator Lashes Out At DOJhttp://kwit.org/post/bill-overhaul-drug-sentences-faces-uncertain-fate-senator-lashes-out-doj
123876 as http://kwit.orgThu, 15 Feb 2018 20:41:00 +0000Bill To Overhaul Drug Sentences Faces Uncertain Fate; Senator Lashes Out At DOJCarrie JohnsonCopyright 2018 NPR. To see more, visit MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST: The nation's top spymaster delivered a warning today. (SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING) DAN COATS: There should be no doubt that Russia perceive that its past efforts as successful and views the 2018 U.S. midterm elections as a potential target for Russian influence operations. KELLY: Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats there offering that sobering assessment about threats from Russia and North Korea before the Senate Intelligence Committee. NPR justice correspondent Carrie Johnson was listening, and she joins us now. Hi, Carrie. CARRIE JOHNSON, BYLINE: Hi, Mary Louise. KELLY: So this is this annual ritual, the threats hearing. And I want to return to Russia and what all the spy chiefs had to say about that in a moment. But I understand the first words out of Dan Coats' mouth today were about North Korea. What did he say? JOHNSON: Yeah, the director of national intelligence says the risk of conflicts between statesDirector Of National Intelligence Says 2018 Midterms Are Potential Target For Russian Influencehttp://kwit.org/post/director-national-intelligence-says-2018-midterms-are-potential-target-russian-influence
123723 as http://kwit.orgTue, 13 Feb 2018 22:05:00 +0000Director Of National Intelligence Says 2018 Midterms Are Potential Target For Russian InfluenceCarrie JohnsonCopyright 2018 NPR. To see more, visit SCOTT SIMON, HOST: The White House has blocked, at least for now, the release of a memo by Democrats on the House intelligence committee. That memo was designed to counter Republican claims that the FBI abused its authority when it snooped on a Trump campaign aide. The whole episode is one more example of how partisan politics have begun to infect the intelligence process. We're joined now by NPR justice correspondent Carrie Johnson. Carrie, thanks for being with us. CARRIE JOHNSON, BYLINE: My pleasure. SIMON: A whole day of waiting yesterday for this memo and then - only to use the technical term bupkis. JOHNSON: That's right, Scott. Nothing. We've been expecting to hear what the president would do about this Democratic memo by the Democrats on the House intel committee. The memo accuses Republicans of cherry picking intelligence and putting the words - putting words in the mouths of FBI officials who approved surveillance of Trump campaign aideWhy Trump Blocked The Democrats' Memohttp://kwit.org/post/why-trump-blocked-democrats-memo
123525 as http://kwit.orgSat, 10 Feb 2018 13:02:00 +0000Why Trump Blocked The Democrats' MemoCarrie JohnsonCopyright 2018 NPR. To see more, visit ARI SHAPIRO, HOST: Rachel Brand, the No. 3 person at the Justice Department, will be leaving her post. Her departure is notable because she would be in line to replace Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who's supervising the special counsel probe into Russian interference in the 2016 election. NPR's justice correspondent Carrie Johnson joins us now with more. Hi, Carrie. CARRIE JOHNSON, BYLINE: Hi, Ari. SHAPIRO: Rachel's been in this job nine months. Why is she leaving already? JOHNSON: Well, in short, she got an offer she couldn't refuse. Five people close to Rachel Brand tell me she's gotten an offer to become the top lawyer at Walmart, a Fortune 50 company and a really big deal. I'm told she wasn't looking. They came to her. Of course, Rachel Brand is a former Supreme Court clerk, worked for Justice Anthony Kennedy. She helped pick judges in the George W. Bush administration, then served on an intelligence oversight board. She's in herRachel Brand, Third In Command At The Justice Department, Is Leaving Her Posthttp://kwit.org/post/rachel-brand-third-command-justice-department-leaving-her-post
123497 as http://kwit.orgSat, 10 Feb 2018 00:01:00 +0000Rachel Brand, Third In Command At The Justice Department, Is Leaving Her PostCarrie JohnsonUpdated at 7:11 p.m. ET The No. 3 official at the Justice Department will be stepping down after less than a year, leaving a key vacancy in the succession of people who are tasked with overseeing the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. The Justice Department announced Friday evening that Associate Attorney General Rachel Brand will be leaving her job in the coming weeks to take a position in the private sector. A source told NPR that Brand, who was sworn in last May, has been in talks about becoming the top lawyer at Walmart. Other sources said Brand has chafed for months at the limits of her post at DOJ. President Trump has repeatedly attacked the law enforcement agency and sought to cast doubt on special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into possible ties between Russia and the Trump campaign. Her role at the Justice Department was doubly important because Attorney General Jeff Sessions has recused himself from the Russia investigation, given his roleNo. 3 Justice Department Official Rachel Brand Will Step Downhttp://kwit.org/post/no-3-justice-department-official-rachel-brand-will-step-down
123499 as http://kwit.orgFri, 09 Feb 2018 23:56:00 +0000No. 3 Justice Department Official Rachel Brand Will Step DownCarrie JohnsonOne year ago this week, Jeff Sessions stood beaming in the Oval Office as he awaited his swearing-in as the 84th attorney general of the United States. On that day last February, President Trump signed executive orders on violent crime and gangs, pledging that a "new era of justice begins." And, in the year that followed, Sessions has managed to transform the Justice Department, particularly in the areas of civil rights, immigration and drugs. Those policy initiatives have advanced despite an increasingly turbulent relationship among the president, Sessions and the institution he leads. Trump disavowed his attorney general over his recusal last year in the Russia investigation, and he has repeatedly attacked the Justice Department and the FBI as inept or politically motivated. For his part, Sessions has tried to have it both ways. He has offered a few words of praise for his deputies at Justice, but told an audience this week that he knows there are sharp critics of his department. "IIn His First Year As Attorney General, Sessions Transforms Justice In Key Wayshttp://kwit.org/post/his-first-year-attorney-general-sessions-transforms-justice-key-ways
123417 as http://kwit.orgFri, 09 Feb 2018 10:00:00 +0000In His First Year As Attorney General, Sessions Transforms Justice In Key WaysCarrie JohnsonCopyright 2018 NPR. To see more, visit RACHEL MARTIN, HOST: We're joined now by NPR justice correspondent Carrie Johnson, who was listening in to that conversation. Carrie, what did you hear in there? CARRIE JOHNSON, BYLINE: Well, I thought it was so interesting that Congressman Hurd, a former CIA employee himself, talked about these folks just wanting to do their jobs. The people I talked to in the FBI and the Justice Department do in fact just want to do their jobs. And they believe that their jobs are being made more difficult by these tweets from the president and these incessant attacks from the White House and the president's allies on their integrity, on their character. Just yesterday, the FBI Agents Association issued a strong statement in support of its new director, Chris Wray, pointing out that these agents take an oath to protect the Constitution, not the man or woman who's in the White House. And the president's tweet this morning also seemed to suggest that he believesUnpacking The Reaction To Plans To Release The Nunes Memohttp://kwit.org/post/unpacking-reaction-plans-release-nunes-memo
123002 as http://kwit.orgFri, 02 Feb 2018 15:58:00 +0000Unpacking The Reaction To Plans To Release The Nunes Memo